Collective Responsibility In The Internet

The Sassy Lawyer, popular Philippine political and cuisine blogger, assesses her participation in a contest promoting SEO as a marketing tool to improve search engine rankings, and documents her reservations.

Having previously scanned through the several articles linked to this brewing issue, I agree with her reservations/ observations.

SEO (search engine optimization) was initially devised as a marketing tool for commercial websites, but since blogs now are either hawking merchandise or at the very least, carrying commercial ads on their pages which can potentially earn some money for the hosts, one can understand the interest in pursuing SEO.

But at what costs and through what means?

Reminds me of those pernicious chain letters still popular among email groups, or even many of those on-line petitions with their expanding name lists, or those perpetually circulating urban legend items.

They may pale in comparison with the fast-spreading viruses that virtually everybody disdains, but as she observed, the result is still - mess and clutter.

In the process, Sassy also reveals her preference for a MacBook which she purchased over the PC laptops at about 100k pesos. While I concede that if one is heavy on graphics and media, i.e., video production and editing (or terribly afraid of infection from viruses in the Internet) that would be one’s choice, still the price differentials are quite gaping.

Here in the US, starting at $400, one could own a PC laptop (Gateway or Dell), which would be a little over 20K pesos. And typically are women-friendly weighing as light as 3.5lbs.

In trying to break into the PC’s markets, Apple’s thrust continues to be that their products may also run Windows. And their current use of Intel chips (and I suppose chipsets) makes the transition even easier. Still, one needs to remember that MacBooks were not technically designed to run on Windows.

Useful Admonitions

Here are some short and quick admonitions on judgment quite apropos for us, bloggers, avid disciples of written words and ideas:

Then wilt thou rejoice more that thou has kept silence that that thou has made long discourses or talked much.

Then will holy works be of greater value than many fair words.

Then a pure and good conscience shall be a greater subject of joy than learned philosophy.

If it be lawful and expedient to speak (or write), speak (or write) those things which may edify

Extracted from an eminent work written more than 6 centuries ago, Imitation Of Christ by Thomas ‘a Kempis.

Another Old Elvis Treat

Through the courtesy of YouTube, here's a special treat for Elvis fans.
Click to view.

Blog As Personal Journal

We know that weblogs, or more popularly, blogs, are a product of the present century. Spread out and popularized through the medium of the Internet.

But just as surely, we know that personal journals have been with us for a long, long time. So long, perhaps, that remaining documents attesting to this have become ageless, timeless, and never the mind.

Click to read more.

Early Journal(cover page):

An Unusual Philately Find

Seven presidents of the Republic of the Philippines on one sheet of postage stamps.

Presidents commencing from the 2nd Republic up to the 5th, but minus the incumbent’s father, Diosdado Macapagal, and deposed Joseph Estrada. And of course, minus the incumbent, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.


Click to read more.